How do you drink wine socially?!
How do you drink wine socially?
I am 22 years old and just started drinking wine with dinner, however what is the etiquette of drinking wine in public? two sips before food, swirling? one glass before dinner? I would like to know from people who know wine. also what in your opinion is the best tasting wine? thank you very much in advance for your answers
Answers:
Etiquette varies depending on where you are, dont get tied into it to much or you will become a "wine snob". Get a wine book and do some wine tastings.
- Typically the person who orders the wine does the swirl and taste. Once in a while an older wine will have gone bad and will have to be returned.
-If you feel like smelling the wine, swirl it around and inhale. If you feel like tasting the wine put it in your mouth and swish it around (not like you are using listerine and no sounds).
-You can drink as much wine as you want, but dont pound it like its a beer! Enjoy it.
-Once you are eating dinner the wine taste will change based on what food you are eating--so pairing should be considered.
-A safe bet is red with meat and white with fish.
I wont recommend a wine, rather I will welcome you to the world of wine and wish you well on developing your own taste.
Social wine drinking is more about enjoying yourself, then adhering to a strict set of rules. However, I would suggest the follwoing:
-ask others about their wine
-when enjoying with food, most usually drink the wine after a bite
-swirling the wine in your glass is to indicate the body the wine has. If the wine "sticks" to the side of the glass, it has good body and swirling it also releases the boquet in red wines
-the best tasting wine, in my opinion, is St. Suprey Chardonnay. I absolutley love chardonnay, the the one mentioned is so buttery and wonderful, especially with a great salad.
I would not suggest drinking wine on an empty stomach, so at least enjoy your first glass with an appetizer. The main thing I like to remember when enjoying wine socially is to enjoy it enough, but not too much.
how do you drink wine socially. well, if you are at a bar with a group of friends, just order yourself a glass of wine and drink it. if you are seated at a table, feel free to let one person go thru the process of smelling, swirling, etc., not everyone needs to do it, then just drink your wine. you really don't need to stress it; be natural. the best tasting wine? that is up to you to discover through trial and error. many people will give you suggestions; i say just find your own favorites. personally, i am partial to australian wines.
a lot of the decision is based on what your main course consists of - if you are having steak, then usually a red wine would be appropriate. . . fish is usually served with white wine
the swirling and sniffing is all done prior to accepting the bottle - once that is taken care of, you sip at leisure
Therer are no formal or even informal rules about wine drinking. Decide what you like, reds or whites, or try a few of each (not all in one night though!!), if you decide to sample wines, start with the whites, as the reds will overwhelm your taste buds and the whites will lose their intensity.
White wine is lighter in alcohol so you can taste a bit more of the fruit, butter, etc, reds tend to be higher and more intense.
White zin is an just a blend, its tasty but most wine drinkers shy away from it.
One importna tthing to remember, if you are drinking wine, hold the glass by the stem not the bowl. Your hand/finfers will warm the glass bowl and thus warm the wine, so hold a glass by the long stem.
Read the wine labels, look for wine that is grown, produced, bollted and cellared by the same wine maker. The more control they have the better the product tends to be. A lot of wine makers buy their grapes and then take over with blending, some common wines are made by a few of the big wine makers like Gallo and Mondavi and they stick many varied name labels on them. Smaller wineries will generallyh have better wines since the owner is the vintner. Calif wines and Australia wines are the most flavorful, Italian, French and German wines are lighter.
last thing, a good wine can be bought for $20 or under per bottle, don't use price as your guide.
Enjoy in moderation!!
Half a glass or so before dinner is served is perfectly ok. More if you order appetizers/soups/salads and the wine will match with it. If you order a glass before dinner (not poured from a bottle), enjoy it at your leisure.
Issues occur when a nice bottle of wine is ordered and a guest gulps it down before anything is on the table - leaving very little for others to enjoy with their food. This is second to leaving an undrunk glass on the table - both are bad form.
Swirling should only be done if you know what you are doing. Yes, it can help aerate the wine, but it can also make a huge mess and waste tasty wine if you don't.
Personally, If I've brought a bottle of wine, I tend to order a cocktail or a light glass of wine before dinner and that carries me until the entree or salad is served. Then, I switch to wine for the rest of the meal.
If it's a shared bottle of wine and you are a guest, take your cues from the host. If he's savoring, then you should pace yourself at his/her speed. Ask him/her what the wine will go best with. If s/he says "dinner", then there is your cue not to waste it before dinner.
The best tasting wine? This is incredibly subjective and is a hard thing to say. Right now, 2001 Brunellos are getting rave reviews. A few years ago, it was 2000 Barolos. The 2004 Oregon Pinots are supposed to be the best ever - and somewhat harder to get as it was a light harvest. 2005 Oregon Pinots are supposed to be even better and may be even harder to procure. 2005 is also supposed to be a GREAT year for German Reislings.
Hope this helps!